Moonlight House (Book 2, Lonstino & Greenwood Series)

Chapter 6 - Safe

I heard sirens in the neighborhood, but didn't think much about it at first, then I realized Erin wasn't home yet and I got worried. Not long after, our neighbor knocked on the door to let me know Erin was on her way to the hospital. He said she had been sexually assaulted and wasn't reacting.

I called Adam before heading to the hospital myself and thought my heart would split my chest from how fast it was beating. Adam picked Rory and arrived at the hospital almost at the same time as I did. A doctor told us that Erin didn't want to be touched and didn't want to talk. I thought about letting the brothers go alone inside her room, but they asked me to go with them. Seeing her hugging her knees while sobbing was heartbreaking.

"Kitty..." Adam whispered to her. That's the nickname he gave her as kids.

She lifted her head and that's when we saw the bruises. Rory sat next to her in bed and caressed her hair, while she extended her hand to me. After some time, I felt it was best to let them have a private moment. She told them what happened. The man pulled her into an alley where he fondled her everywhere. He had a hand over her mouth and she bit him, that's when he punched her several times. Adam convinced her to let a doctor check her under the condition that he or Rory would stay in the room and then she was released to go home.

Adam let me and Noah know what happened and we started brainstorming ways to help her and keep her safe. We thought she would need time to recover and the next day Noah started rethinking the song sets and chose the ones he could sing by himself. To our big surprise, she walked into the club that same afternoon wearing a thick layer of makeup over her bruise. She called us four to the middle of the club, away from any eavesdroppers, and said to never mention the incident again and to go on as if it never happened. But we are hardheaded guys and kept asking her if she was okay, or kept offering that she could talk to us if she needed to. We got individually yelled at for doing that and the only thing she accepted was a lift from Noah to our place after the club closes.

I didn't mean to upset her and being in bad terms with your roommate isn't a good idea, so after turning the TV and the living room lights off, I walk to her room and open the door after knocking softly.

"I'm sorry, Erin," I say as I sit next to her on the bed.

"Forgotten. I know you mean well," she pats my thigh. "Sorry about my outburst. I still find it very hard. That man only touched me but... Sam... The whole thing about Noah being interested in me freaked me out. The idea of being in a relationship... Being physical with someone... It's just awful. That's why I haven't dated since then," her face turns so sad that I can only hug her, until I realize something.

"But you let me and other people touch you like this."

"I'm fine with a hug, especially from friends and family. What I mean is that I don't feel comfortable being intimate," even in the low light of her night lamp, I can see she's blushing.

"Would you like to talk someone about this?"

Erin's phone rings and I know I'll never get an answer.

"It's Adam," she frowns as she looks at the id. "I have Sam here with me. Did you forget something?" She answers after activating the speakerphone.

"No, nothing like that. Rory called me. The short and blunt story is that Duncan punched Imogen because she is pregnant. She agreed to bunk with Rory for tonight."

Erin and I look at each other with shock.

"That insensitive asshole! How he dares?"

"I never liked him and now even less. I will go by Rory in the morning to see how I can help them. Maybe she'll need stuff from her place. I hope he gets arrested and pays for this, because punching a woman is unforgivable. We will need to also come up with a plan for the club to inform everyone and keep Imogen safe."

"Do you know how far she is in her pregnancy?"

"I don't know. Didn't ask. It's not that I don't care, but I find that a private matter. Now my biggest concern is making sure she's okay and that no one can allow Duncan in the club."

"I'll inform my staff to guard the kitchen back door," I say. "I don't think he's smart enough to figure that, but I can't run any risks. Let us know if we can give you a hand with anything else."

After saying our goodbyes to Adam. Erin and I look lost on what to do next. We need to protect Imogen and her baby, there's no doubt about that, but we also need to help Adam. He worries me and I know everyone has noticed he doesn't look well. All he does is work and worry, and on the days when he's supposed to be free and resting, he continues to work. In the last months, he's gained weight rapidly, something I'm trying to help him with and he seems to catch every cold going around. The day that he passed out at the club he attributed it to being ill, but he was also exhausted.